Senate Advances Marijuana Dispensary Bill

(Host)
The state Senate has advanced a bill that allows patients to buy medical
marijuana at local dispensaries rather than having to grow their own.

The
bill says the dispensaries would operate under the supervision of the state.
Only people who have a doctor's written permission could buy the pot.

But
Franklin Republican Randy Brock questioned why the state would sanction the
sale of marijuana when it is still illegal under federal law.

(Brock) "And with this dispensary
bill in addition to requiring our state's primary law enforcement agency to
support misdemeanor illegal activity, on the federal level by having
dispensaries of this type we now involve them in regulating and overseeing what
essentially is a felony under federal law."

(Host)
Vermont already has a law on the books that says people can
register to use medical marijuana. But the law says they have to grow it
themselves indoors, or have a designated caregiver do it for them. Advocates
say that's impractical for many patients, and forces some to buy marijuana on the
black market.

Chittenden
Senator Philip Baruth said that as a college student he was asked by his mother
to procure the drug for an aunt who was suffering from terminal cancer.

He
said it meant risking arrest and the loss of his college scholarship. Baruth
said Vermont's current law puts patients in a similar bind.

(Baruth) "For us to say we have
sanctioned medical marijuana but we will not provide legal access to that drug
strikes me as not only potentially painful for families that are involved in
these things but also surreal."

(Host)
The Senate advanced the bill on a 25-4 vote. It comes up for final approval
today, but faces a tougher road in the House where some legislative leaders say
they may not have time to consider it.